as in tale
a traditional description of imaginary events circulated orally among a people
West African folktales that continue to be passed from generation to generation through storytelling
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Recent Examples of folktale
Below, see the streamer’s list of authors to watch, from contemporary folktales and family dramas to dark fantasy and spicy time travel tales.
—
Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
To keep her on track, Hero tells Cherry stories each night, loosely adapting the framework of the classic collection of Arabic folktales One Thousand and One Nights.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
Atmospheric principles and folktales, spirit and substance, opposites and inversions.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
The story centered on a young Palestinian man living in Jerusalem who must save his family after a Ghouleh, a female demon from his grandmother’s folktales, arrive in his town and threatens his home.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for folktale
Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
To keep her on track, Hero tells Cherry stories each night, loosely adapting the framework of the classic collection of Arabic folktales One Thousand and One Nights.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
Atmospheric principles and folktales, spirit and substance, opposites and inversions.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
The story centered on a young Palestinian man living in Jerusalem who must save his family after a Ghouleh, a female demon from his grandmother’s folktales, arrive in his town and threatens his home.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for folktale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for folktale
Noun
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The 2-panel chart below tells the tale.—
Carter Braxton Worth,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2026
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Whitman’s poetry and prose; Melville’s early romances of the sea, Typee, Omoo, and Mardi; three novels by Harriet Beecher Stowe, including Uncle Tom’s Cabin; and the complete tales and sketches of Nathaniel Hawthorne.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In a nod to the hotel’s backyard, a wall of fame steps off the lobby pays tribute to assorted legends of Ojai, including renowned mountaineer and environmentalist Rick Ridgeway, ceramicists Otto and Vivika Heino, and author Aldous Huxley.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
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The songs are by composing legend Mike Stoller, now 93, and a master tunesmith during the era in which much of the story spans.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
25 Apr. 2026
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Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.—
Data Skrive,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In the retelling, personal narrative becomes public history, communal memory, and even cultural myth.—
Horace D. Ballard,
Artforum,
22 Apr. 2026
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Child murder cases have long held the public’s fascination, from the Greek myth of Medea killing her children to get back at Jason, to the more recent cases of Andrea Yates, Jennifer Hart and Lori Vallow.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Nowhere has the flipping of the form books been more striking than in La Liga, where two weekends ago — for only the third time in history — each of the bottom five teams picked up maximum points.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
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Sixteen original structures are on the property, along with two permanent exhibitions about the history of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery in Louisiana.—
Catherine Garcia,
TheWeek,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Meanwhile, today Uranus enters a part of your chart to stay for six years, encouraging impulsive vacations, surprising romance and unexpected children.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
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Nataliia was watching a romance film on television.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Folktale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/folktale. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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